Evaluation

Evaluation

Overall i feel I have produced four strong final pieces on the topics of death, learning, peace and protection. I looked in depth at different artists work to gain knowledge and inspiration for my own designs. I progressed my skills in the computer program Photoshop to digitally manipulate some of my responses and final compositions. I also learnt how to use visual language to communicate a set meaning, I did this through the use of colours, medias and techniques.

Target Audience Profile

My target audience for this brief is young to middle age professionals who are interested in modern, digital designs that incorporate the use of symbolism and meaning through colour, medias and content.

Final Piece - Learning or transmitting of knowledge

I used the image i had created as a response to the idea of learning or transmitting of knowledge (as seen below). I didn't like the angle of the photograph below because of the reflection of the flash in the central image and the blank space between pieces. I decided to retake the shot looking slightly down the image which created an interested view point and a good overall final piece.

Final Piece - Protection against illness or evil

This is my work based on the theme of protection from evil, the concept behind my final piece was based on todays society and how they are affecting the planet through pollution. I used the figure of batman because he is seen as a superhero icon in modern day but is not concerned with the idea of global warming or the damage done to the world we live in . I created the shape of the wings myself in Photoshop as well as putting together the seen of a New York skyline and a textured background. I used the idea of smoke to symbolize the pollution being emitted from the city and the figure of Jesus trying to fight against the evil of todays society. I feel the overall composition is similar to that of old comic strip and I like the way it has come together.

Final Piece - Peace

This is my final piece, it is inspired by the work I did on the concept of peace. I looked at the artists: Monet, J.M.W Turner and Georgia O'Keeffe to influence my final work. I liked the work of O'Keeffe the most from the three artists and I wanted to re-create the same atmosphere in a composition of my own. Another feature I wanted to incorporate into my work was the use of objects and colours taken from nature to create the feeling of piece and tranquility. I found a really beautiful rose that was a very bold orange and took a photo of it at an angle similar to some of O'Keeffe's paintings. I then took a photo of a sky and layered the two components together. I found this looked slightly harsh and so to make it look more painted than digital I used the smudge tool to create the effect you can see now and the burn tool to add depth. I feel this improved my final work and helped to create a good final piece

Final Piece - Death and Discord

This image is in response to the theme of death and discord, I researched several artists who had touched upon this theme in their work, these included Rene Magritte and Edward Munch. Their work was what inspired me most when creating a final piece incorporating surrealist layouts and symbolism through colours and poses. I used an image i had painted for a response to Munch's work and layered it over one of his own compositions, as if i was adding a new character to the scene. I used the same pallet of colours and added a fill layer and filter to emphasize the greens I had chosen.

Learning or transmitting of knowledge - My Parents, my Grandparents and I by Frida Kahlo

My Parents, my Grandparents and I

Context

We gain knowledge and skills through learning and practice. The time we are most susceptible to learn is in early childhood where we are influenced by the world around us and copy from the people closest too us, usually are parents. This piece of work by Frida Kahlo represents her hybrid identity as the child of a multicultural and interracial marriage and refers back to her German-Jewish roots.

Actual Meaning

"Me in the middle of this house, when I was about two years old. The whole house is in perspective as I remember it. On top of the house in the clouds are my father and mother when they were married (portraits taken from photographs). The ribbon about me and my mother's waist becomes an umbilical cord and I become a fetus. On the right, the paternal grandparents, on the left the maternal grandparents. A ribbon circles all the group — symbolic of the family relation. The German grandparents are symbolized by the sea, the Mexican by the earth."

- Frida Kahlo's description of her painting

What the piece means to me

I feel that this painting represents the idea of transferring knowledge, wisdom and skills through different generations of families. What looks like an umbilical cord ties the Kahlo family together through the different age groups. An umbilical passes on food and nutrients from a mother to her child and is there only connection and so i feel the use of this in the composition could symbolise the passing on of information and so could represent the process of learning.

Materials used and how they compliment the meaning

This image was created using Oil paints and tempera on metal. Tempera is a paint made by binding pigment in an egg medium and is a technique most associated with the classical art world, it is mainly used for detailed work and precise brush work. The colours resemble pastel once painted and rarely have the deep colour saturation that is obtained by oils so by using the two together you can create a detailed but vivid painting that lasts over time. This is an important technique for Frida Kahlo in her creation of great compositions .

Overall Judgement

I really like this painting by Kahlo, i find it interesting and stimulating because of the vivid colours and symbolisation. The composition is well thought through, with images inspired by family photographs placed cleverly to portray her interracial family origins.

My Response

This is my own personal response to the work of Frida Kahlo and the image above. I felt her painting used the images of her family to portray the idea of knowledge and skills past down through generations as well as her interracial origins. Although her work was created using oil paints, she mentioned using photographs for her inspiration and this is what I chose to use in my work. I wanted to include pictures of all the people who were important in my development and learning in early childhood. I arranged them much like in the painting above, seperating the different generations. My grandparents are placed at the top, my parents and sister on either side and me in the middle. I am really pleased with the overall all image but feel I could do more to improve it because of the blank spaces between some of the photographs.

Learning or transmitting of knowledge - Adam by Michelangelo

The Creation of Adam

Context

This image is a fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo around 1511, it is the fourth in a series of panels depicting episodes from Genesis. The artist illustrates the Biblical story from the book of genisis in which 'God the Father' breathes life into Adam, the first man. It is arguably one of the most famous and most appreciated images in the world.

Actual Meaning

There have been several theories put forward about the meaning behind the painting 'The Creation of Adam', it is a highly original composition and many people believe this could be to do with Michelangelo's well-documented expertise in human anatomy. It is said that the background shapes and figures portrayed behind the figure of God appear to be an "anatomically accurate picture of the human brain, including the frontal lobe, opthic chiasm, brain stem, pituitary gland and the major sulci of the cerebrum".

What the piece means to me

I believe that the painting by Michelangelo represents the idea of transmitting of knowledge and that we gain knowledge and skill through learning. According to Genesis 1:27, 'God created man in his own image' and i feel this is symbolised in the image by the similar poses of God and Adam because the positions of God's right leg and Adam's right leg are nearly identical. God's arm is outstretched and i feel this is to show the imparting of the spark of life from his own finger into that of Adam, that he is sharing his great knowledge of the world through this gesture.

Materials used and how they compliment the meaning

I couldn't find any information on what materials were used to create the image but the artist appears to have used oil paints onto panels on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This was a common practice of the time and means a lot of compositions have been lost due to age and deterioration as well as fading because of excessive light. This was a big problem for the creation of Adam which recently had to be restored to its former glory.

Overall Judgement

Overall i find the painting by Michelangelo very interesting and symbolic with the use of positioning to create meanings and portray a message or imparting of knowledge.

My Response

When i was researching the image 'Adam' by Michelangelo I found the idea of God imparting the spark of life and knowledge through a connection between their fingers a very interesting concept. It demenstrated a personal relationship/connection between God and the people on earth. This is why i decied to focus on the area of the hands when creating my response to enhance the symbolisim in the positions. I took a photography of mine and my dads hands in a similar shape to the ones in the painting, i then cut the shapes out individual and placed them on the background I had created. I added a filter layer over the top to add a feeling of the supernatural to the composition and i am pleased with how this has turned out.

Protection against illness or evil - Temptation on the mount by Duccio Di Buoninsegna

Temptation on the mount

Context

As written in an earlier blog, “Evil could be perceived as something morally wrong or bad it tends to cause great harm or destruction and is believed to be void of conscience”. This image is inspired by the chapter of the bible which tells of Jesus being tempted by the devil.

“The Devil is the title given to the supernatural being, who, in mainstream Christianity, Islam, and other religions, is believed to be a powerful, evil entity and the tempter of humankind.”

- Wikipedia


The devil tempted Christ on 3 occasions: the first was to eat during his fast in the dessert, the second at the highest point in the temple of Jerusalem to test the Lord and the third temptation was at the highest point on the mountain. The devil took Jesus to the mountain to show him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor…



“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

- (Matt. 4:1-11)

Therefore Jesus protected himself and the rest of the world from the evil of Satan.

Actual Meaning

As written above the meaning of the image is to portray how Jesus was able to fight off Satan by resisting his evil temptations and overcome sin.

What the piece means to me

The painting to me symbolises the inherent greed instilled in all humans and how temptations can bring out this quality in the best of people but that it can be overcome, just like Jesus overcame the temptation set out by the Devil on the mount. To me the black body of Satan could not only represent evil, but the dark side of a person’s personality. I also believe that the positioning of the figures are symbolic in that good is higher up than evil enhancing the underlining message of morality.

Materials used and how they compliment the meaning

Although I have no knowledge of how this piece of work by Duccio Di Buoninsegna I feel it will have been created using oil paints on canvas. Also i feel that the background in the painting may have been made using gold leaf to create the vivid metallic finish.

Overall Judgement

Overall i feel although this image is quite dated it is interesting in composition and symbolisation with good use of vivid colours and techniques with different medias, such as gold leaf to great a great overall texture.

My Response

This image is my response to the work of Duccio Di Buoninsegna, as seen above, it has a very different feel to the overall image because of the images used. The idea behind the use of batman in my work was to add a different angel on the theme of protection of evil to bring it more up to date with todays society. Another difference between the pieces is that I have created mine using digital manipulation in Photoshop. I used layers to great the background colour and filters to creat the texture and gradiant.

Protection against illness or evil - Pandora by John William Waterhouse

Pandora

Context

In this image I will be looking into the idea of the protection against evil. Evil could be perceived as something morally wrong or bad it tends to cause great harm or destruction and is believed to be void of conscience. The image in question portrays a tale from Greek mythology with the scene of Pandora’s Box. The myth is such that Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create Pandora as part of a punishment to man kind.

"The gods endowed her with many talents: Aphrodite gave her beauty, Apollo music, Hermes persuasion, and so forth. This was the reason for her name Pandora which means 'all-gifted'"

- Wikipedia

After Hephaestus created Pandora he gave her a box that she was not to open under any circumstance. Impelled by the curiosity instilled in her, Pandora opened the box and allowed all the evil contained to escape and spread over the earth, although one thing remained at the bottom of the box and that was hope.

Actual Meaning

This image illustrates the Greek myth of Pandora at the point in which she opens the box and lets all evil out to spread across the world.

What the piece means to me

I feel this image symbolises innocence in the face of unknown dangers because of the figure of the young woman used to portray the character Pandora. Turner has given her a very pale complexion to enhance the feeling of purity and naivety while her posture and facial expressions show her inner curiosity. Out of one side of her box what looks like a cloud of dust or smoke is escaping and I think this is to represent the evil spreading over the world.

Materials used and how they compliment the meaning

This composition was created using oil paints on canvas, I think this helps to create the rich colours of the background scenes as well as the gold of the box and the pureness of the character’s skin. I think if the colours weren’t as bold and pure the image wouldn’t be able to convey the messages of innocence, curiosity and evil and so the piece as a whole would not be as effective.

Overall Judgement

Overall I feel this image portrays the myth of Pandora well as it symbolises all the emotions and features of the story by the choice of media and the way the scene is laid out. Also the character used to portray her helps to enhance the symbolism because of her posture, facial expressions and the colours Turner used for her.

My Response's

The two images below are my experiments drawn in response to the painting of Pandora’s Box above. My drawing portrays the box just as it is opened, the black lines portray the evil and the swirls the confusion spread after the world is affected. I originally drew the 1rst image in pencil to create depth and shading, I then added the details with a fine liner. The second was created using Photoshop, after scanning in my original drawing of the image I added a black layer with an exclusion format. The results of the digital manipulation created a more striking, mystical affect because of the shading around the lines. Overall I feel the second composition is more appropriate as a response to Waterhouse’s image as it symbolises the idea of evil in a more superior design.

1rst Design

2nd Design

Peace – Peace Burial at sea J.M.W Turner

Peace Burial at Sea

Context

As written in an earlier blog, “Peace is generally the opposite of war, a state of harmony or the absence of hostility”. It is a state of harmonious relations with the absence of mental stress or anxiety.

Actual Meaning

Tuner was discovered at an early age due to his unusual artistic talents, it took 60 years of working on paintings, sketches and drawings to perfect his own, unique style. Certain characteristics of Turner’s work include: brightness, reflection, intensity and power of elemental forces. Although I could not find the actual meaning of this piece the information I found on Turner’s techniques and the quote below can give us an idea of what he meant to portray to the viewer and how he did this.

"I did not paint it to be understood but I wished to show what such a scene was like."

What the piece means to me

This image is titled ‘Peace burial at sea’ which describes the nature of the scene somewhat. My view is that the piece is showing the aftermath of a battle with the burning shipwreck in the foreground. I think the dark colours of the wreck in contrast to the white ships in the background are really effective because white is a colour usually associated with peace and thus adds more meaning and depth to the painting as a whole. The water is flat in the image and this also helps to create the feeling of peace and in my opinion the reflection of the fire and smoke from the wreck on the water draws this meaning into the whole piece. The light colours of the right side of the sky could be seen to symbolize new beginnings and the end of conflict.

Materials used and how they compliment the meaning

Although I can’t find and information on the painting I believe it’s created using oil paints on canvas. Turner had very strong feelings on colours and how to use them in his work, in his copy of 'Theory of Color' on the page where Goethe said, "If the totality of color is presented to the eye from the outside in the form of an object, it will be pleasing to the eye, because it thereby encounters the sum of its own activity as reality." Turner wrote in the margin: "This is the object of Painting”. Over the years of practice Turner develop a very definite style of brush work full of free weaving colours and light and I think this is the key feature of the work above and I feel that is why it appears so peaceful.

Overall Judgement

Overall I feel this peace is good example of symbolism in artwork by the use of colours and techniques to create the feeling of peace and tranquillity.

My Response

Here is my response to the image by J.M.W Turner, titled ‘Peace Burial at Sea’, I wanted to focus on the dark pastel colours used in the water and brighter sunlight to convey the feeling of peace. First of all I found a striking image of a sunset with a strong light emitting from sun sending bright colours across the rest of the composition. I then cut out the silhouettes of sailboats and made one black and set it in the foreground and the rest white set back onto the horizon, this to symbolise the idea of calm after a storm by using colours to represent meaning and enhance the idea of peace. I added a black fill layer over the top of the sunset image to darken some of the areas but I used the multiply tool which means the sunlight is still quite vivid, just like in Turner’s work. Overall I feel the image would look better with more layers or by using a more natural media like chalk pastels because although the colours are a good representative of Turner’s work because the image was created on the computer I was unable to create such texture like his. (All the computer manipulation was done using Photoshop).

Peace

Water Lilies 1908 - Claude Monet

Context

Peace is generally the opposite of war, a state of harmony or the absence of hostility. It is a position of quiet and tranquility with the feeling of calm and serenity. It is often portrayed using pastel colours and light tones as well as curved brush strokes and thus affects the choice of media appropriate to use.

Actual Meaning

Claude Monet was born in Paris on the 14th of November 1840 and was the founder of the French impressionist movement especially with his work on landscape paintings. I picked the image from a series of compositions incorporating lilies. They were inspired by the many flowers in Monet’s gardens and ponds from his house, situated outside of Paris, where he lived in his later years. During the time in which the series was created Monet was suffering from cataracts he was treated for this by having a lens removed. Ultimately this allowed him to see ultraviolet lights hence why many of his paintings used such vivid blues.

What the piece means to me

The colours blue and green are often used to symbolize calm and tranquility and so when used in this situation makes the image very calming and peaceful. I feel the light pastel tones portray a warm summers day with flowers in full bloom. The vivid blue in contrast to the shades of the lilies and reflection in the water creates an un-natural composition and together enhances the mood of the piece.

Materials used and how they compliment the meaning

This image was created using oil on canvas and this is how he created such vivid colours and strong brush strokes to build up textures.

Overall Judgement

I feel that overall this image is quite striking because of the contrasts of colours and the thick lines of the brush strokes used to build up layers. All these factors produce a good composition with a peaceful quality which is still recognised to date.

My Response

Below is my response to the image “water lilies 1908” by Claude Monet, I created it using my own photography plus computer manipulation using Photoshop. The original photo is my own work and to me the solitary crisp, white lily symbolises peace and tranquillity. White and blue are two colours often used to portray calmness and that is why I believe this composition works well. Just as Monet used ultraviolet colours in his work I have used a very vivid blue overlay to try and create the same sort of effect digitally I then added a hard mix to the new fill layer and lowered the opacity. Overall this made the white lily in the centre stand out from the bright blues in the water and created a more striking image.

Ram's Head White Hollyhock Hills by Georgia O'Keeffe

This is an image by the artist Georgia O'Keeffe I included in
the concept of Peace because I feel this painting has a great tranquil atmosphere. It takes all the elements from nature which emphasizes the idea of peace, this is also helped by the choice of pastels shades used

Death and Discord

Death in the Sickroom

Context

In this image Edward Munch also touches on the subject of death, using specific poses for his figures to add symbolism and meaning. As mentioned before, ‘death is the event of departure from life’ and this image shows the process of grieving at the end of a life.

Actual Meaning

Edward Munch was born in 1863 and at the age of 5 he lost his mother to Tuberculosis and his care was taken over by his older sister Karen. By 1877 his other sister, Sophie, died from the same illness. Many people believe that a lot of his later works (including the one above) express the feelings he had about the illness and death that occurred in his close family. The composition gives the audience I good perception of Munch’s emotions at the time and how these experiences affected him for the rest of his life.


"Disease and insanity were the black angels on guard at my cradle. In my childhood, I felt I was treated in an unjust way, without a mother, sick, and with threatened punishment in hell hanging over my head."

- Edward Munch

What the piece means to me

To me this piece by Munch is a well informed and considered painting using position and colour to enhance the meaning behind it. The green of the walls is reflected on the faces of some of the figures in the room, I feel this could be to try and symbolize how the death of one person can affect many of the people’s lives. Also I feel the colours could be used to show that the sadness and loss that takes place when a person dies can spread like a disease. The figures in composition look as thought they have been painted in poses as thought in a role on a theatre stage. During the 1890’s it was said that Munch favored a shallow pictorial space with a minimal backdrop for his frontal figures and this can be seen in ‘death in the sickroom’. I believe poses/positions are significant in Edward Munch’s work and that each one is chosen carefully to produce a more convincing image and state of mind. Overall I believe that the characters portrayed in the image were designed to appear more symbolic than realistic.

Materials used and how they compliment the meaning

This painting was created using oil on canvas which helped to create the bold shades of green and the soft brush textures.

Overall Judgement

Overall I feel that Edward Munch has created a very strong image because of the thought behind each small part of the composition. He has considered every detail and how it could affect the meaning behind the painting, tying in his own emotions and experiences to create a beautiful and poignant image that a lot of people can relate to.

My Response

This is my Response to the image by Edward Munch as seen above. I commented earlier on the use of colour and how it can add symbolism meaning to a composition and wanted this aspect to influence my own work. I used shades of blue to portray loneliness and depression, I used it on the face to make the message of personal. I incorporated the colour green which is usually associated with sickness of disease, this was in response to Munch's work were he used it to show the sadness and loss that spreads like a disease when a person dies. I used acrylic paint to create textured brush work and pencil to define certain features.

Les Amants by Rene Magritte

Context

Opposite is a painting by the surrealist artist Rene Magritte, it is titled 'Les Amants' or when translated into English 'The Lovers'. In 1912 the artist's mother committed suicide and this was a great loss that effected many of his later works.

Actual Meaning and what the piece means to me

Magritte began drawing lesson in 1910 and two years later in 1912, his mother committed suicide by drowning herself in the River Sambre as mentioned above. He was present when her body was dragged from the water and this image of his mother floating naked with her dress obscuring her face may be seen to influence a series or paintings where this scene is reconstructed using people with cloth obscuring their faces. The painting 'Les Amants' is seen to be one of the images from this series.



I would agree that the tragedy of his mothers death has inspired him to do symbolic paintings depicting this major event in his life but in the surrealist style he is so famous for.

My Response

Death and Discord - Death is Normal

MONAMORTA

Context

Death is the event of departure from life, and is the permanent end of all functions in an organism. It is the time when something ends, or the final state it lacks any hope or glory and thoughts into such matters can appear morose. It is often thought of as sinister and dark.

"If you fear Death, you'll be afraid to live life to the fullest, therefore limiting Your Positive Creative Potential"

- Frank Conde

Death is the end of the life of a biological organism. Death may refer to the end of life as either an event or condition.Many factors can cause or contribute to an organism's death, including predation, disease, habitat destruction, senescence, malnutrition and accidents. The principal causes of death in developed countries are diseases related to aging. Traditions and beliefs related to death are an important part of human culture, and central to many religions. In medicine, biological details and definitions of death have become increasingly complicated as technology advances.

- Wikipedia

Actual Meaning

"My art is created with a purpose, To mitigate in humans their fear of mortality."

This piece represents the normality of death as described the exhibitions title, Conde’s intention was to ease the fear of mortality for humans. The composition depicts the ‘Mona Lisa’ by Leonardo Di Vinci but with a skull in the place of the head. The original is a world renowned painting and a common image to the majority of the public. Therefore when merged with a symbol of death it to might also become more normal and accepted in everyday life.

What the piece means to me

I feel the image itself is quite sinister although the concept behind it is and interesting subject to base a piece of work from. In my opinion it is designed to make people think about their attitude towards death. The artist Frank Conde’s appears to be attempting to rationalize the idea of dying, changing the stereotypical views of morbidity. The Mona Lisa is a popular piece to many artist’s as no-one quite understand how it got to become so famous and why so many people go out of their way to view it. This is similar to the idea of death, which over years has become morbid and sinister, something to be feared and for no apparent reason. So this piece appears to me to be downsize the hype of death and show it in its true form, normal just like the piece of art its part of.

Materials used and how they compliment the meaning

The image by Frank Conde is a digital print using computer aided design, it makes the final outcome of the piece crisp but with layers of texture built into the background. It is in black and white which adds a good tonal quality to the skull in particular. It also helps to convey the meaning of normality and finality in death, that it is something neutral, straight forward and nothing to fear.

Overall Judgment

I find this piece overall quite striking with the use of monochrome and rough textures incorporated with the image of a skull. The image as a whole communicates a clear message or mortality and the idea of death. I feel the way the composition had been laid out is effective as it helps emphasize the meaning, with the harsh lines and the striking contrasts.

My Response

This is an experiment I designed on Photoshop from my interpretation of the 'MONAMORTA' by Frank Conde. It uses the same principals from the previous piece, such as the fact it portrays a famous painting by the artist Picasso with an overriding image of a skull to symbolize death. I changed the image to grayscale to add a more sinister feel to the composition, similar to the piece it was inspired by. I then got a picture of a skull and cropped different features of its face and imposed them on the images using a photoshop effect. I am pleased with the overall result and feel it has the same kind of qualities as the one above but if i was to do it again I would build up the layers using different medias and scan them into the computer to add more depth to the image and make more of an impression.